Think-lab at Urbanscapes '09

On the 27th of June ’09, KL Pac hosted the much anticipated annual Urbanscapes event. Urbanscapes 2009 seemed to be an ideal destination-plan for a Saturday. The various bargain art/clothing/food/accessory attracted a diverse crowd from art-students, professionals of the design field, families, medical students, people with opinions, artists with works to sell, you name it.

Think-Lab (not going to be left behind on the fun), decided to take the opportunity of the vibrant dynamics to officially begin promotions on the upcoming Mini-Conference. The Mini-Conference is now scheduled to be held in the National Art Gallery on the 8th of August ’09. Four Think-lab ‘agents’ geared with ‘mini-frames’, thought-provoking t-shirts walking around and interacting with the crowd.

The frame is black on one side and white on the other. The contrast of colour is meant to signify a celebration of different opinions, a hint of the graceful sharing of opinions that’s to take place during the Mini-Conference.

The reception of the crowd towards Think-lab was delightful to say the least. We got very good response from the participants at Urbanscapes, and mainly from the young entrepreneurs themselves. It was rather interesting to find many old friends who wanted to change the design industry locally were there too. Some of them said our conference came about at just the right time, as the art and design industry is about to mature.
For that we are deeply grateful.

Various poses with think-lab’s mini-frame by random individuals/groups.

Check out our official website at www.make-condition.com/thinklab or e-mail us at thinklab@make-condition.com


Sofia Goh

The New Atlantis

The New Atlantis

In the documentary The 11th Hour, Al Gore paints us a not so pretty picture on our turbulent future as global warming creeps nearer. In a few decades as ice caps melt, sea levels rise and swallow land. Coastal countries like, Egypt, Australia, Vietnam and Malaysia (ourselves!) will see their most inhabited places and fertile fields devastated by the flooding of salt water, damaging the local ecosystems and forcing them to flee inland.

Where will these people escape to? Atop a Pyramid? The Great Outback? The Twin Towers?

Questions like these have architects scratching their heads on the future of the built environment. Why build more structures that are anchored to the land, knowing it might eventually be flooded?

Well, forward thinking architect Vincent Callebaut has taken it upon himself to find a solution by literally “Going with the Flow”. His brainchild is the Lilypad, a prototype of an auto-sufficient amphibious city (floating city). The "Lily pad" claims to incorporate eco-responsive technology, including generating power from the sun, wind and water, and would produce zero emissions from its residents. It is able to accommodate 50,000 inhabitants and encourages biodiversity to develop its fauna and flora with a central lagoon for rain water harvesting.

The idea of mobile architecture like the Lilypad was somewhat of a pipe dream when it saw the light during the 1960’s when it was introduced by ARCHIGRAM. They were a 1960’s British avant garde architectural group known for their playful, cartoon-like visions of a technocratic future. For Archigram, mobility was important and omnipresent even for the urban landscape that became a “Walking City”. Projects such as “Living City,” “Plug-in City,” and “Walking City” was their response to the urban destruction after the war. In his KL lecture tour in May 2009, Sir Peter Cook founder of Archigram explained they sought escapism in architecture - an optimistic approach to nomadic architecture that sets people free.

Many doubt the Lilypad will ever be constructed while others wait and see. Fantasy-like mega structures that exercise escapism like the Dubai Palm is becoming a reality, proving that human greed and ignorance knows no boundaries. The purpose of the project is to increase tourism and attract investments to a place where consumerism is high. The developer claims that it will actually ‘benefit’ marine life but the truth is rather obvious.

The Lilypad is one person’s solution to our eco-problem. Construction of the gigantic city would probably be more damaging than helpful to our future. Only time will tell if we ever live to see it materialise. Ideas like this make evident that the line that separates architecture and science is blurred. We approach a future where it seems only through synchronisation of the two skills can we move forward and find solutions to continue living.

Bernie Quah

Infographics

Infographic by Dave Bowker.

In the world we live in today, design has gradually built itself to be a crucial part of conveying purposes, intents or objectives. Over time, styles changes but one thing remains, it is how effective is your way of communicating information or infographics as they called it. In the previous posts, Zachary mentioned some of the visual communication nowadays. Bear in mind that infographics have a way of affecting us in one way or another but it is more obvious now that the more you can capture the audience, the better the result will be.

In conveying messages to audiences, designers will figure out ways to reach them faster and better. They will first determine what information will be conveyed. After that, they will decide the chronology of information. Then, it will be ways of making the information into a universal or contextually related ways of easy understanding. And also, to make the conveyed message rests deep in the minds of audience. These are the parts here designers stretch their brains out to reach to you.

We have seen how these advertisements work. Lots of them will give you the ‘uhs’ and ‘ahs’. It is really a race of ways and thoughtful ideas. Moving from the static advertisements to the interactive ones, we will likely be the participants and audiences of the great race. Here I will provide the interpretations of the infographics. These are some quotes from field designers to give you a clearer picture of what is it from their own perspective. From there on, you can try and relate your way of perceiving the communicative information.

"Infographics and data visualization are often like puzzles. They can be appreciated for their complexity, simplicity and beauty, but when you start looking deeper into them there are other things that will grab your attention. The people who spend more time looking will undoubtedly get a lot more out of it."
Dave Bowker, Graphic designer

"It's visual, and when necessary, integrates words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way.”
Juan Velasco, Graphics editor of National Geographic

"I don't think about my work as infographics. To me, it's just telling stories."
Jonathan Harris, Number 27

"Information graphics' primary purpose is to inform. In many cases, the goal is to simplify complex data into understandable visual representations using symbols that can be universally interpreted."
Peter Crnokrak, Plusminus

"Information graphics are often utilitarian and anonymous, their aim is to depict situations in the most objective way possible"
TroikArt, Designer

"That it is not an illustration, but the generation of form from quantitative content."
Daniel Gross and Joris Maltha, Catalogtree

Infographic by Jonathan Harris, Number 27

There are zillions of infographics out there for you to chew on but you yourself will know which once reaches out to you.

Shafizuan Shapiei

Dilution of Poetry in Design

Why is poetry an important aspect of a particular design? In any field, sound logic and theory of math would suffice to solve everyday functional problems. Poetry is the introduction of emotion to this equation. Hence, to be concerned with the poetry of a creation is to be concerned with the reception and human interaction of a design.

Does a photographer capture honest candid moments in a war-torn village or try to recreate a pseudo-situation in a studio in New Jersey for an editorial piece? Both are equal platforms for creating beautiful work. But which would inspire more poetry?

Does a surgeon splice mathematically into a person’s body, imagining grid lines as he/she goes along or with skilled hands, passionately handles an operation involving another fellow human.

The meticulous commitment to honesty in the process of creating an art/design is what determines integrity of a design. To conveniently overlook honesty issues in one too many decisions of the creation process is what dilutes poetry. Honesty issues are overcome when ‘’to design for humans’’ remains a priority.

In the consumerist age of today, dilution of poetry is everywhere to be found. With heavy emphasis on ‘marketing’ and ‘branding’, shifts in priority leave little room for time to be ‘wasted’ on poetry. Marketing strategies impose deadlines; branding-concerns limit opportunity to be creative to make works recognizable. What’s the effect of this attitude? Does it take an extreme existence of plastic before it can be realized that living in poly-carbon is not enough for a heightened sense of living? Is this a new age of prostitution in artistic integrity? There’s a fine line between maintaining integrity and being ignorant and stubborn.

Food for thought.

Further Reflections.
Looking at Daniel Libeskinds works.

The Felix Nussbaum museum was a design of architectural space to commemorate the life of the Jewish artist Felix Nussbaum who died in the Holocaust. Poetry is heavily translated into spatial metaphors of the museum: Hallways meet dead-ends representing the many unjustified deaths, slits on ceilings and light-openings to represent the thin slit of hope faced by those who lived during the unfortunate time etc. Basically, justified poetry. Effective. Moving.

Images below show the ‘dead-end’ hallways and slits in ceiling limiting light. Effective poetry. Suited to context.

BUT

This is what branding does.
West side shopping and leisure centre in Switzerland. Notice the same slits used for lightings on the ceiling? Poetry diluted. Distasteful.

And

The Villa, a series by Daniel Libeskind.
The usage of slits seems to have become a branding tool. But based on the origin of the design, does the poetry really suit the various contexts it’s being used in?

Works of Daniel Libeskind can be viewed at his official website:
www.daniel-libeskind.com

Sofia Goh
Student of Bachelor of Science (Hons) (Architecture)

Think-lab at Urbanscapes

Hey people!

A big event is heading our way and it’s the Urbanscapes 2009 on the 27 June 2009 this weekend.

The Urbanscapes 2009 at KLPAC is an all-day creative arts event which features music, film, art, fashion and lots of fun. This is an event you don't want to miss. It is a waterfall filled with creative juice, fountain of youth and there will be (a promise!) tons of happy people. The Urbanscapes has been around for years now; bet this year it gets even better. Think-lab will be at the great event, so look out for us.

For more info on Urbanscapes, do check their official website here at http://www.urbanscapes.com.my/ and check out the FAQ's of the event. Details to the event are all there. They have updates, contests and all you need to know about the event. Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff.

So guys, we will be seeing you there. Don’t forget to free that 27th June 2009 in your calendar now.

Shafizuan Shapiei

Designer needs to be Autocratic.

‘Democratisation ultimately pollutes design,’

Marc Newson, an industrial designer.

There is something wrong with the design industry in this country.

Obviously.

The city of Kuala Lumpur is a tragic place for you to work as a designer. It is filled with visual polluted corporations that make you copy international design works. It happens even to the best design company in Malaysia. Trust me. My sources are from these design copycat companies, confessing their sins upon their years of trying to create portfolio. Surprisingly, they were talented creative individuals before coming into the firm. And now they become parasites themselves. I still call them my friends though.

My friends and I decided to leave Kuala Lumpur to refresh our minds of how it was studying design with basic elementary knowledge from our younger years. Translating fun in the sun into action, we strolled down Pulau Perhentian Kecil’s beautiful beach, as we missed the infamous ‘Orgy party’ by a day, perhaps wondering how on earth it happened in Terengganu.

The mind works in wonders when natural creative flow is left in peace. You express more, experience more and you become more impeccable to details. You can taste the beautiful sun on your face, you can smell the crystal clear ocean waters, you can make sense of the fine granulates of sand beneath your armpits while imitating sand angel. Opposite to what city life offers. To add, bird droppings that dirt your car fuels anger instead. Only the truth sets you free, said someone. And the truth about designer is they do not copy. They are your metronome to society.

Democracy is about people’s say. What Marc Newson said about democratizing design pollutes somehow interests me. The initial process to design has to have solid content. It is the basic rule for any designer. Content creates the form. Form communicates with people and participation is measured. Now, design makes sense when it emotes with function. Not because it has to, but it is inherently the character for an end product. From typography, to industrial to an interior of a shoe shop, character of an end product can only flourish when it responds to the public emotively and functionally.

Creating content through democratizing design can be interesting. However, to create that in Malaysia, ‘chinchai bonchai’ is a negative culture that is embedded to the root of the society. Also deemed as tropical people culture, it kills to know that design cannot flourish especially when people are clouded by their emotions rather than intelligence.
It is harsh for the design environment and also passive in participation when it is required for an individual to describe what good design can do for them.

So, what can good design do for you?

MRN

Why Plastic?

There are many different types of materials that designers can specify while each has different advantages and disadvantages. The best material for your design will depend on the nature of the product you are designing. Over the past 50 years or so, plastics have been used to make a growing range of everyday products from food packaging and bags to toys and computers. Now because of environmental issues we start to question the use of plastic.

Plastic Recycling.

When compared to other materials like glass and metal materials, plastic polymers require greater processing to be recycled. Plastics have low entropy of mixing, which is due to the high molecular weight of their large polymer chains. Heating alone is not enough to dissolve such a large molecule; because of this, plastics must often be of nearly identical composition in order to mix efficiently. When different types of plastics are melted together they tend to phase-separate, like oil and water.

Another barrier to recycling is the widespread use of dyes, fillers, and other additives in plastics. The polymer is generally too viscous to economically remove fillers, and would be damaged by many of the processes.

Unfortunately, not all plastics can be recycled. Thermosetting plastics (hard plastics) cannot be reformed. Some examples of hard plastic are like those used for kettles, light fittings and sockets.

What can we do?

Even though many organizations and consumers did their part to support recycle projects, but it is proven quite difficult to recycle plastic. The best solution for this is to prevent and reduce the use of plastics. So it is the designer’s duty to consider this environmental issue before choosing materials for their design. Below are some examples of materials that substitute the traditional use of plastic.

Glass is used to substitute the traditional plastic light switch.

The Mac Pro computer is made of highly recyclable aluminum and uses PVC-free internal cables and components.

Bamboo is used to design children’s toy as substitute for plastic toys.

Purpose of plastic.

Plastic were design by human to last forever but instead used for a short period of time especially plastic bags and plastic food packaging. Where is the practicality? The big question is where will these plastic end up after their service is over? They can easily drift away and ended up in the sea. Below is a video produce by Mr. Mc Donald titled ‘Synthetic Sea’. It will show the negative effects of plastic and you will be surprise by the amount of plastic they found in the sea.

Hope this will empower us to be more environmentally responsible and start reducing the use of plastic.


HRR